This invention relates generally to the art of fabricating arrays of solar cells and more particularly concerns a process of producing glass-encapsulated solar cell arrays, and the product produced by the process.
Solar cells are becoming increasingly important as a source of electrical energy. The first significant commercial application of solar cells has been as a source of power for space vehicles, and the major thrust of the research and development in solar cell technology has been for space applications.
Because of current and predicted future energy shortages, terrestial applications of solar cell technology are being extensively studied. One limiting characteristic of conventional solar cells, however, is their relatively low voltage output; i.e. typically around 0.5 volt per cell. The relatively large voltages necessary for most terrestial applications thus requires the connection of solar cells into large arrays. The solar cells themselves can be manufactured economically, but the construction of an array, in which individual solar cells are connected together in a specified pattern to produce a given level of power at a specified voltage, is expensive. At least part of the process is carried out in a vacuum. Other steps in the process must be done by hand. These requirements raise the cost of the resulting array to the point where solar cell arrays are no longer competitive with other forms of energy production.
Besides the cost of interconnection, solar cell arrays for terrestial applications must be protected in some manner from the harsh effects of the terrestial environment, i.e. ultraviolet radiation, rain and dust. The conventional approach has been to enclose the arrays with a protective shield, adding further expense to the arrays. Conventional enclosures, however, have several disadvantages. They are difficult and expensive to manufacture and they themselves are susceptible to breakage. Furthermore, if the enclosure is broken or cracked, the entire array will usually be subject to contamination, not just the local area of the break. This usually necessitates the replacement of the complete array.
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide a process for producing solar cell arrays and the product produced thereby which overcome one or more of the disadvantages of the prior art noted above.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a process and product which decreases significantly the cost of producing solar cell arrays.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a product which includes a protective enclosure in which any contamination resulting from a break in the enclosure is confined to the area of the break.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide such a process by which solar cell arrays may be produced continuously.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide such a process which may be accomplished without human intervention.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide such a process which may be carried out without a vacuum.